Thursday, 6 June 2013

Best cinnamon rolls with rum butter caramel sauce

Breakfast, for me, has to be healthy. And it has to be quick. I hardly have time to brush my teeth most mornings so I either have breakfast on the run or at work.

Brunch on the other hand is a weekend 'feast' (as my daughter would say) - lazy, indulgent and full of wonderful treats.

Chobani Uk has challenged bloggers to come up with brunch recipes using their range of authentic fat-free strained yoghurts. The winning recipe will being served at this year's Food Blogger Connect - pretty exciting stuff.

The first idea I had was for cinnamon rolls. I have made variations of these many times but never with yoghurt in the dough before. Well, I am a complete convert! I used 240ml of plain Chobani strained yoghurt in the dough and these were the best cinnamon rolls I have ever made. The dough was incredibly easy to work with and the rolls stayed fresh for longer. I will definitely be making these again - very soon.

I could go on (and on) about how gooey, sticky and simply irresistible these are but I will let the pictures talk for themselves. What's more, you can prepare them a day ahead and bake them in the morning. Fresh cinnamon rolls for brunch? Yes please.
Chobani yoghurts are available in the UK through Tesco stores (and, very conveniently, online too). I love the fact that their plain yoghurt comes in jumbo 454g tubs - perfect for baking purposes.

The rum butter caramel sauce is hiding underneath.

For the dough

240ml Plain Fat Free Chobani Strained Yoghurt / 1 cup

75g unsalted butter / 1/3 cup

500g white strong bread flour / 4 cups + more for dusting & rolling

2 tsp dry active yeast

100g light brown sugar / 1/2 cup

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the filling

100g light brown sugar / 1/2 cup

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

100g unsalted butter / scant 1/2 cup - softened till spreadable

100g walnuts / about 1 cup

For the rum butter caramel

100g light brown sugar / 1/2 cup

100g unsalted butter / scant 1/2 cup

3-4 tbsp dark rum (optional)

pinch salt

Method

Put the yoghurt and butter in a small pot and heat gently until the butter is almost melted. Set aside to cool until it's just warm.

Put all the dry ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer and mix together with a fork. Add the yogurt mix and eggs. Stir together with a wooden spoon (or your hands). Attach the bowl to your mixer and mix on low speed using the dough hook for about 5-7 minutes.

Alternatively knead by hand for about 10 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky and forms a glossy ball.

Leave the dough in the mixing bowl, (or put a large, lightly buttered bowl) cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 1-2 hours until nearly double in size.

Prepare your filling by pulsing the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor until walnuts are small but not ground to a powder - set aside.

To prepare the syrup, put the sugar and butter in a small pot and heat gently until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Stir in the rum if using and then pour a thin layer into the bottom of your baking tray. You will need a large tray approximately 13 x 9 x 2 inch (33 x 23 x 5 cm) or the largest round tin you have.

Tip dough onto a floured worktop and knock it down. Leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes. Flour your rolling pin then roll the dough out into a rough rectangle approximately 40x30cm/16x12in. Spread dough with the softened butter except for the top 1cm/1/2 inch along one long side of the rectangle (furthest from you). Spread the filling on the buttered dough and press it down lightly.

Starting on the long side closest to you, roll the dough (not too tightly) into a log. Trim the edges. Cut into 12 even pieces using a pastry cutter or sharp knife. Place the cinnamon buns into the prepared tray, spacing them about 1inch apart. Do not crowd them! Cover with greased cling film and let them rise again for 1-2 hours.

Preheat your over to 190C/375F for a good 15 minutes then bake at the centre of the oven for about 25-30 minutes. If your cinnamon rolls are colouring too rapidly, cover with some foil after 15 minutes. These are heavenly freshly baked but they keep quite well - reheat in the microwave before serving.

Note: If you want to make these a day ahead, you can place the unbaked rolls in the fridge after the first proving. Leave them to rise slowly in the fridge overnight. Take them out of the fridge for 30m before baking.

You can also freeze them after the second proving. When you want to bake them put them in the fridge to defrost overnight and again bring them to room temperature before baking.

These sound amazing! I love cinnamon and this is something I could really go for as a breakfast treat! On a normal day though I'd stick to my porridge with cinnamon as otherwise I could see myself scoffing too much!

hi these look deliciousinteresting recipe i had never heard of making a cake with yogart before i with defiantly give this receipe a try my daughter is addicted to cinnamon rolls with a creamy topping in tesco at the moment but they are £3 so your recipe could save me a small fortune thank you x